Bore wall cleaner



March 11, 1958 I M. F. WRIGHT ETAL 2,826,253

BORE WALL CLEANER Filed June 4, 1954 I I I i l l l E e l 23 1 2 l 1 a 1 y l a i g I I i (4 A INVENTOR.

M4e/a N F. we/ 6 HT United States Patent Q B'GRE WALL CLEANER Marion F. Wright and Marvin Kaswolford, Houston, Tex. Appiiciition June t, 1954", Serial No. 434,37 4 7Clairn's. or. 166-473) "operation and avoid use of projecting fingers, bristles, or

tines likely to cause excessive abrading, gouging, or scratching of the 'borewall.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description considered in conjunction with the attached drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a top view, partially in section, of the preferred embodimentof the cleaner of thepre'sent invention.

Figure Z'is a side elevational view of the assembly of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view taken along the*line'3-3 of Figure 1.

t Figure 4 is a top plan view, partially in section, of an alternative embodiment of the cleaner of thepresent invention, the solid lines indicating the cleaner of such embodiment and the dotted arrows and dotted lines indicating respectively the rotational movement of such cleaner'in a bore and positions of such cleaner during the rotational movement.

Figure 5 is a view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4. Referring-mow to the drawings in more detaiL'the reference numeral 9 designates a bore formed in the ground or some other medium and the numeral 10 designates the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 inserted into the bore 9.

The embodiment 10 comprises a pipe or casing 11 and attached thereto, is a supporting member 12. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the member 12 consists of a hollow collar circumposed about and attached to the pipe 11. The collar 12 has a central portion 14 of arcuate section and edge portions 15 which are flat. The edge portions 15 of the collar are secured to the exterior of the pipe 11 by welding, as shown at 16, or by other appropriate means, and the portion 14 is spaced outwardly from the exterior of the pipe 11.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, a bore wall cleaner 10a is shown in which a supporting member 12a comprises a strip of metal positioned longitudinally of and attached exteriorly to the pipe 11. The strip 12a has flat edge portions 17, secured to the exterior of the pipe 11 by welding or other suitable means, and a bowed portion 18 intermediate the edge portions 17 and spaced outwardly from the exterior of the pipe 11. The strip 12a has longitudinally spaced apart pairs of openings or apertures 28 provided therein, as shown in Fig. 5, and a wire or cable 8a is connected to extend continuously from an anchorage at the upper end of the strip, through the apertures 28 in the manner shown, to be anchored at the lower end of the strip. As thus installed Patented Mar. 11, 1958 2 the cable 8a provide's' loop's 20 having inner portions 21 adjacent the apertures 2'8, 'and having intermediate portions 22 fsp'aced outwardly from the member 12a. The loops'20 have inner portions 23 which extend within the "supporting member 12a, as shown in Fig. 5.

'Exteriorly-of andextending along the supporting member 12in Figures #1 to B is afiexible member '8 comprising a plurality of Ioops ZO formed of 'resilient'material, the loops '20 having 'innerporti'ons 21 adjacent to and secured to the member '12 and having intermediate portions 22 spaCedoutWafdlyfrom the member 12. 'The loops 20 are formedof the-continuouslengthcf wire or'cable 8 which is threaded through spaced pairs of apertures "or openings 28 provided in the member 12 to form the loops '20 *with'their inner portions overlapping, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. The loop-forming wire or 'cable 8 has portions 23 which extend interior'ly of the member 12.

As shown in Figs. land'S, the ends of'the'wire or cable Smay be joined tounake it continuous by means of a cable end locking clamp 24. Such clamp 24 comprises an outer clamp section 26 to fit outwardly within the central portion 14-of the-"supporting member 12, and an inner 'cla'mp section '26, the clamp sections complementally providing a slot of circular cross-section to receive the ends of the cable 8 therein to be clamped therein wheninan abutting'p'osition whereby the cable 8 may be described as'extendingcontinuously as set forth hereinabove. To thi'send clampingis effected by bolts '24 which extend -throughsuitable holes in the clamp sections 26, "26', and in the arcuate portion 14 of the supporting'member 12, the outer-ends of the bolts having nuts27 threaded thereon to tfect clamping.

In the event that frictional contactbetween the loops and the aperture surfacesis insufiicient to anchor'the loops against longitudinal displacement, such clamping arrangements could beprovided to hold-the interior portions 23 against longitudinal displacement. As shown in Fig. 5 such anchorage of theloops 20 to the supporting member 12acan beefte'ctedas shown by welding at 25.

The manner in which the bore wall cleaner of the present invention is used will suggest itself from the foregoing description. Cleaners'of different sizes are, of course,

required for attachment to different sizesof casing orpipe and for use in difierent sizes of bores. For cleaning'a particular bore wall, the cleaner sele'cted should be of such size that when attached to a pipe and inserted in the bore, the intermediate portions 22 of the loops 20 will make firm resilient contact with the wall of the bore. If the form of the cleaner being used is that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, loops 20 will be bent slightly upwardly, as shown in Figure 2, when the cleaner is inserted into the bore 9. To use this form of the cleaner to clean the bore 9, the device 10a is moved upwardly and downwardly in a reciprocating motion, causing the intermediate portions 22 of the loops 20 to wipe the adjacent portions of the wall of the bore 9 so as to remove the dirt or foreign matter present thereon. If the form of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5 is used, the device 10a is inserted into the bore 9 and then rotated, as indicated in Figure 4, to bring the intermediate portions 22 of the ldops 20 into wiping contact with the wall of the bore 9 to remove dirt and foreign matter therefrom. It will be obvious that in both forms of the invention, the wiping of the bore wall is accomplished by the rounded intermediate portions 22 of the loops 20 and there are no sharp projecting fingers, bristles, or tines which are likely to scar the bore wall. Moreover, the resiliency of the loops 20 protects the bore wall against excessive abrasion and also adapts the cleaner to be used with bores of different diameters within a limited range. The bore wall cleaner will be manufactured to fit all sizes of pipe and well casing.

3 What is claimed is: 1. In a well bore wall cleaner for cleaning a well bore having irregularities on the wall surface thereof, the combination of a hollow supporting member adapted to be positioned on the exterior of a pipe in said well bore and provided with spaced pairs of openings therein, lying in a common plane, an elongated flexible member mounted on said supporting member, said flexible member extending through said openings to provide outer loop members projecting exteriorly from said support member and to provide inner portions in contact with the inner wall surface of the supporting member, adjacent loop members overlapping and contacting each other, and means securing said inner portions to said support, said elongated member being of suflicient rigidity to wipe the well bore and being of suflicient yieldability to flex in so doing.

2. A well bore wall cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support member comprises an annular collar adapted to encircle the pipe in the well bore and adapted to be secured thereto.

3. A well bore wall cleaner as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support member comprises a hollow strip of metal adapted to be attached to the pipe in the well bore. 1

4. In a well bore wall cleaner for cleaning a well bore having irregularities on the wall surface thereof, the combination of a hollow supporting member adapted to be positioned on the exterior of a pipe in a said well bore and provided with spaced pairs of openings therein, lying in a common plane, an elongated flexible member extending through said openings, one end of said flexible member being secured in one opening of a predetermined pair of openings, said flexible member extending from said one opening to and through the remoter opening of the next adjacent pair of openings, and thereafter through the nearer opening of said next adjacent pair of openings, and serially until the flexible member has passed through all of said openings, the free end of said flexible member being secured to the interior of said supporting member through the second opening of said predetermined pair of openings, said flexible member being in the form of loops projecting outwardly from the exterior of said supporting member and being positioned to lie against and in contact with the inner surface of said supporting member, said elongated member being of sufiicient rigidity to wipe the Well bore and being of suflicient yieldability to flex in so doing.

5. In a well bore wall cleaner for cleaning a well bore having irregularities on the wall surface thereof, the combination of a hollow supporting member adapted to be positioned on the exterior of a pipe in said well bore and provided with spaced pairs of openings therein, lying in a common plane, an elongated flexible member mounted on said supporting member, said flexible member extending through said openings to provide outer loop members projecting exteriorly from said support member and to provide inner portions in contact with the inner wall surface of the supporting member, adjacent loop members overlapping and contacting each other, said elongated flexible member being adapted to be held by contact with said supporting member against longitudinal displacement and being of sufficient rigidity to wipe the well bore and being of sufficient yieldability to flex in so doing.

6. In a well bore wall cleaner for cleaning a Well bore having irregularities on the wall surface thereof, the combination of a hollow supporting member adapted to be secured on the exterior of a pipe in said well bore, an elongated substantially inextensible flexible member mounted on said supporting member, said flexible member forming a plurality of outer loop members projecting exteriorly from said support member and a plurality of inner portions in contact with the supporting member, adjacent loop members overlapping each other, and means securing said inner portions against movement relative to said support, said elongated member being of suflicient rigidity to wipe the well bore and being of suflicient yieldability to flex in so doing.

7. The invention as set forth in claim 6 wherein an individual securing means is provided for each of said inner portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,302,940 Lund May 6, 1919 2,200,758 Thaheld May 14, 1940 2,237,863 Donaldson Apr. 8, 1941 2,325,556 Taylor et a1 July 27, 1943 2,369,222 Every Feb. 13, 1945 2,421,434 Reistle et al. June 3, 1947 2,433,955 Meynig Jan. 6, 1948 2,506,405 Wright May. 2, 1950 2,583,044 Earl Jan. 22, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 540,910 France Apr. 25, 1922 

